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ofahn wrote:I can see where this might sound harsh to Arrieta, but IMO he has "head issues" that have impacted his performance.

Matt P wrote:Yeah, he just has no confidence at all and once he gets into a jam he usually unravels.

I still recall watching a game @LAA where the O's put 4 or 5 runs on the board to take a 5-2 lead in the 3rd inning and he just started to unravel with consecutive walks and a single to start the inning. Rather than sending Adair out there Buck practically sprinted out of the dugout and it looked like he gave Arrieta an earful. Definitely didn't look like the typical mound visit, Buck looked like he was as fed up as the rest of us fans were which is rare to see from him.

For me this year is put up or shut up with Arrieta. I still think he has a good chance of overcoming his issues but I want to see legitimate ML progress this year.

I still recall watching a game @LAA where the O's put 4 or 5 runs on the board to take a 5-2 lead in the 3rd inning and he just started to unravel with consecutive walks and a single to start the inning. Rather than sending Adair out there Buck practically sprinted out of the dugout and it looked like he gave Arrieta an earful. Definitely didn't look like the typical mound visit, Buck looked like he was as fed up as the rest of us fans were which is rare to see from him.

For me this year is put up or shut up with Arrieta. I still think he has a good chance of overcoming his issues but I want to see legitimate ML progress this year.

Yup, and that wasn't the last time he completely unraveled on the mound. It just seemed like every time he got into a jam he would press way to hard and have no control at all.

It doesn't really matter that he was in Triple-A. What matters is he dramatically improved.

Remember last year when he looked good against 3 bad NL lineups and you thought he turned the corner? Two starts later he was back in AAA. I've seen time and time again that he has turned it around, figured it out, etc. based on a small sample size and every time it ends up being false. Not going to buy into him anytime soon. He's going to be 27 next season, he's not a young pitcher anymore.

Matt P wrote:Remember last year when he looked good against 3 bad NL lineups and you thought he turned the corner? Two starts later he was back in AAA. I've seen time and time again that he has turned it around, figured it out, etc. based on a small sample size and every time it ends up being false. Not going to buy into him anytime soon. He's going to be 27 next season, he's not a young pitcher anymore.

Jordan Tuwiner wrote:I'm not suggesting it is evidence, but just a positive sign.

We'll see what happens next year.

I can see both sides of that argument. The good news to me is that he's addressing his biggest issues, the mental side of the game. I would like it if he continues to see the sports psychologist over the off-season and makes it part of his routine next year. We'll find out if it makes a positive impact or not. Make or break.

I remember in the early 90s when Smoltz talked about seeing a sports psychologist and how it completely turned his career around. At the time Smotlz was a guy struggling who had great stuff. Im not saying JA has Smotlz stuff but he does have good stuff. I have heard this has worked for several athletes over the years.

I do remember JA's last 2 starts in AAA and they were just dominating...Like 5 or 6 innings and double digit Ks and only a few hits.

He had a great spring and wowed alot of scouts. He got out of wack and never recovered. I wouldnt give up on him just yet. Although, I do see him as the most likely to be traded if we trade one of the calvary.

Numbers were always clear that Arrieta's poor results were relatively unsustainable given his "true outcome" statistics. With or without the help of a sport psychologist he should be expected to make major improvements going forward. He's good, always has been.

A_K wrote:Numbers were always clear that Arrieta's poor results were relatively unsustainable given his "true outcome" statistics. With or without the help of a sport psychologist he should be expected to make major improvements going forward. He's good, always has been.

A_K wrote:Numbers were always clear that Arrieta's poor results were relatively unsustainable given his "true outcome" statistics. With or without the help of a sport psychologist he should be expected to make major improvements going forward. He's good, always has been.